Demogorgon is a

deity A deity or god is a supernatural being considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

associated with the

underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...

. Although often ascribed to

Greek mythology Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...

, the name probably arises from an unknown copyist's misreading of a commentary by a fourth-century scholar,

Lactantius Placidus Lactantius Placidus (c. 350 – c. 400 AD) was the presumed author of a commentary on Statius's poem ''Thebaid''. Wilhelm Siegmund Teuffel considered him to be the same person as Luctatius Placidus, the ostensible author of a medieval Latin gl ...

. The concept itself can be traced back to the original misread term

demiurge In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the Demiurge () is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. Various sects of Gnostics adopted the term '' ...

Etymology

The origins of the name ''Demogorgon'' are not entirely clear, though the most prevalent scholarly view now considers it to be a misreading of the Greek δημιουργόν (''dēmiourgón'',

accusative case In grammar, the accusative case ( abbreviated ) of a noun is the grammatical case used to receive the direct object of a transitive verb. In the English language, the only words that occur in the accusative case are pronouns: "me", "him", "he ...

form of δημιουργός, '

') based on the manuscript variations in the earliest known explicit reference in Lactantius Placidus (Jahnke 1898, Sweeney 1997, Solomon 2012).

Boccaccio Giovanni Boccaccio ( , ; ; 16 June 1313 – 21 December 1375) was an Italian writer, poet, correspondent of Petrarch, and an important Renaissance humanist. Born in the town of Certaldo, he became so well known as a writer that he was s ...

, in his influential ''

Genealogia Deorum Gentilium ''Genealogia deorum gentilium'', known in English as ''On the Genealogy of the Gods of the Gentiles'', is a mythography or encyclopedic compilation of the tangled family relationships of the classical pantheons of Ancient Greece and Rome, w ...

'', cites a now-lost work by

Theodontius Theodontius was the author of a now lost Latin work on mythology. He was extensively quoted in Giovanni Boccaccio's ''Genealogia Deorum Gentilium'', but is otherwise almost unknown. Boccaccio says that he knew Theodontius's work through the ''Collec ...

and that master's acknowledged Byzantine source " Pronapides the Athenian" as authority for the idea that Demogorgon is the antecedent of all the gods. Art historian

Jean Seznec Jean Seznec (19 March 1905, in Morlaix – 22 November 1983, in Oxford) was a historian and mythographer whose most influential book, for English-speaking readers, is ''La Survivance des dieux antiques'' (1940), translated as '' The Survival of t ...

concludes that "Demogorgon is a grammatical error, become god." The name variants cited by Ricardus Jahnke include the Latin "demoirgon", "emoirgon", "demogorgona", "demogorgon", with the first critical editor Friedrich Lindenbrog (Fridericus Tiliobroga) having conjectured "δημιουργόν" as the prototype in 1600. Various other theories suggest that the name is derived from a combination of the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

words δαίμων ''

daimon The daimon (), also spelled daemon (meaning "god", "godlike", "power", "fate"), denotes an "unknown superfactor", which can be either good or hostile. In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology a daimon was imagined to be a lesser ...

'' (' spirit' given the Christian connotations of 'demon' in the early Middle Ages)—or, less likely δῆμος '' dêmos'' ("people")—and γοργός ''gorgós'' ("quick") or Γοργών '' Gorgṓn'', the monsters of Ancient Greek mythology first attested in

Hesiod Hesiod ( or ; ''Hēsíodos''; ) was an ancient Greece, Greek poet generally thought to have been active between 750 and 650 BC, around the same time as Homer.M. L. West, ''Hesiod: Theogony'', Oxford University Press (1966), p. 40.Jasper Gr ...

's ''

Theogony The ''Theogony'' () is a poem by Hesiod (8th–7th century BC) describing the origins and genealogy, genealogies of the Greek gods, composed . It is written in the Homeric Greek, epic dialect of Ancient Greek and contains 1,022 lines. It is one ...

''.

Derivation and history

Demogorgon is first mentioned in the commentary on

Statius Publius Papinius Statius (Greek language, Greek: Πόπλιος Παπίνιος Στάτιος; , ; ) was a Latin poetry, Latin poet of the 1st century CE. His surviving poetry includes an epic in twelve books, the ''Thebaid (Latin poem), Theb ...

's ''

Thebaid The Thebaid or Thebais (, ''Thēbaïs'') was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nome (Egypt), nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos, Egypt, Abydos to Aswan. Pharaonic history The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximit ...

'' often attributed in manuscripts to a

, (c. 350–400 AD). The Lactantius Placidus commentary became the most common medieval commentary on the poem by Statius and is transmitted in most early editions up to 1600. The commentary has been attributed incorrectly to a different Lactantius, the Christian author

Lucius Caelius Firmianus Lactantius Lucius Caecilius Firmianus Lactantius () was an early Christian author who became an advisor to Roman emperor Constantine I, guiding his Christian religious policy in its initial stages of emergence, and a tutor to his son Crispus. His most impor ...

, even though the commentator appears to have been

Mithraic Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteries or the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion focused on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastrian divinity (''yazata'') Mithra, the Roman Mithras was link ...

. The name ''Demogorgon'' is introduced in a discussion of ''Thebaid'' 4.516, which mentions "the supreme being of the threefold world" (''triplicis mundi summum''). In one manuscript, the author says of Statius, ''Dicit deum Demogorgona summum, cuius scire nomen non licet'' ("He is speaking of the Demogorgon, the supreme god, whose name it is not permitted to know", or perhaps "He is speaking of a god, the supreme Demogorgon"). Prior to Lactantius, there is no mention of the supposed "Demogorgon" anywhere by any writer, pagan or Christian. However, as noted above, there are several different manuscript traditions, including one that gives "demoirgon", which has been taken by most critical editors to indicate some form of misconstruction of the Greek ''dēmiourgon''. Jahnke thus restores the text to read "He is speaking of the Demiurge, whose name it is not permitted to know". However, this phantom word in one of the manuscript traditions took on a life of its own among later scholars. In the

Early Middle Ages The Early Middle Ages (or early medieval period), sometimes controversially referred to as the Dark Ages (historiography), Dark Ages, is typically regarded by historians as lasting from the late 5th to the 10th century. They marked the start o ...

, Demogorgon is mentioned in the tenth-century ''Adnotationes super Lucanum'', a series of short notes to

Lucan Marcus Annaeus Lucanus (3 November AD 39 – 30 April AD 65), better known in English as Lucan (), was a Roman poet, born in Corduba, Hispania Baetica (present-day Córdoba, Spain). He is regarded as one of the outstanding figures of the Imper ...

's ''

Pharsalia ''De Bello Civili'' (; ''On the Civil War''), more commonly referred to as the ''Pharsalia'' (, neuter plural), is a Latin literature, Roman Epic poetry, epic poem written by the poet Lucan, detailing the Caesar's civil war, civil war between Ju ...

'' that are included in the ''

Commenta Bernensia The ''Commenta Bernensia'' and ''Adnotationes Super Lucanum'' are two 9th-century compilations of scholia (explanatory notes) on the Latin poet Lucan's ''Pharsalia''. Lucan's poem was very popular in late antiquity and the middle ages, which cr ...

'', the "Berne Scholia on Lucan". By the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

, the reality of a primordial "Demogorgon" was so well fixed in the European imagination that "Demogorgon's son Pan" became a bizarre variant reading for "Hermes' son Pan" in one manuscript tradition of

's ''

Genealogia Deorum gentilium ''Genealogia deorum gentilium'', known in English as ''On the Genealogy of the Gods of the Gentiles'', is a mythography or encyclopedic compilation of the tangled family relationships of the classical pantheons of Ancient Greece and Rome, w ...

'' ("Genealogies of the Gods":1.3–4 and 2.1), misreading a line in

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

's ''

Metamorphoses The ''Metamorphoses'' (, , ) is a Latin Narrative poetry, narrative poem from 8 Common Era, CE by the Ancient Rome, Roman poet Ovid. It is considered his ''Masterpiece, magnum opus''. The poem chronicles the history of the world from its Cre ...

''. Boccaccio's ''Demogorgon'' is mentioned as a "primal" god in quite a few

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

texts, and impressively glossed "Demon-Gorgon," i.e., "Terror-Demon" or "God of the Earth". The French historian and mythographer

, for instance, now determines in ''Demogorgon'' an allusion to the

Demiurge In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the Demiurge () is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. Various sects of Gnostics adopted the term '' ...

("Craftsman" or "Maker") of

Plato Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...

's ''Timaeus.'' For a remarkable early text identifying Ovid's Demiurge (1/1, here) as "sovereign Demogorgon", see the paraphrase of ''Metamorphoses'' I in Abraham France, ''The third part of the Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch'' (London, 1592), sig. A2v."

In literature

Demogorgon was taken up by Christian writers as a demon of Hell: Note, however, Milton does not refer to the inhabitants of Hell, but of an unformed region where

Chaos Chaos or CHAOS may refer to: Science, technology, and astronomy * '' Chaos: Making a New Science'', a 1987 book by James Gleick * Chaos (company), a Bulgarian rendering and simulation software company * ''Chaos'' (genus), a genus of amoebae * ...

rules with Night. In Milton's epic poem Satan passes through this region while traveling from Hell to

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

. Demogorgon's name was earlier invoked by

Faust Faust ( , ) is the protagonist of a classic German folklore, German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust (). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a deal with the Devil at a ...

us in Scene III of

Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe ( ; Baptism, baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), also known as Kit Marlowe, was an English playwright, poet, and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the English Renaissance theatre, Eli ...

's '' Doctor Faustus'' (1590) when the eponymous Doctor summons

Mephistopheles Mephistopheles ( , ), also known as Mephostophilis or Mephisto, is a demon featured in German folklore, originating as the chief devil in the Faust legend. He has since become a stock character appearing in Mephistopheles in the arts and popular ...

with a Latin incantation. The sixteenth-century Dutch demonologist

Johann Weyer Johannes Wier ( or '; 1515 – 24 February 1588) was a Dutch physician who was among the first to publish a thorough treatise against the trials and persecution of people accused of witchcraft. His most influential work is ('On th ...

described Demogorgon as the master of fate in hell's hierarchy. According to

Ariosto Ludovico Ariosto (, ; ; 8 September 1474 – 6 July 1533) was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic '' Orlando Furioso'' (1516). The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's ''Orlando Innamorato'', describ ...

's lesser work ''I Cinque Canti'', Demogorgon has a splendid temple palace in the Imavo mountains (today's Himalaya) where every five years

the Fates The Fates are a common motif in European polytheism, most frequently represented as a trio of goddesses. The Fates shape the destiny of each human, often expressed in textile metaphors such as spinning fibers into yarn, or weaving threads on a ...

and genii are all summoned to appear before him and give an account of their actions. They travel through the air in various strange conveyances, and it is no easy matter to distinguish between their convention and a

Witches' Sabbath A Witches' Sabbath is a purported gathering of those believed to practice witchcraft and other rituals. The phrase became especially popular in the 20th century. Origin of the phrase The most infamous and influential work of witch-hunting lor ...

. When elements of Ariosto's poem supplied

Philippe Quinault Philippe Quinault (; 3 June 1635 – 26 November 1688) was a French dramatist and librettist. Biography Quinault was born in Paris. He was educated by the liberality of François Tristan l'Hermite, the author of ''Marianne''. Quinault's fi ...

's libretto for

Jean-Baptiste Lully Jean-Baptiste Lully ( – 22 March 1687) was a French composer, dancer and instrumentalist of Italian birth, who is considered a master of the French Baroque music style. Best known for his operas, he spent most of his life working in the court o ...

's opera ''Roland'', performed at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, 8 January 1685, Demogorgon was king of the fairies and master of ceremonies. Demogorgon also is mentioned in the Book II of the epic poem '' El Bernardo'' written in Mexico by

Bernardo de Balbuena Bernardo de Balbuena (c. 1561 in Valdepeñas, Spain – October 1627, in San Juan, Puerto Rico) was a Spanish poet. He was the first of a long series of Latin American poets who extolled the special beauties of the New World. Life Born in V ...

and published in Spain in 1624. The passage tells how the fairy, "Alcina", visits Demogorgon in his infernal palace:

Aquí Demogorgon está sentado
en su banco fatal, cuyo decreto
de las supremas causas es guardado
por inviolable y celestial preceto.
Las parcas y su estambre delicado
a cuyo huso el mundo está sujeto,
la fea muerte y el vivir lucido
y el negro lago del oscuro olvido
— (Libro II, estrofa 19)

Demogorgon is mentioned in

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; – 13 January 1599 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the House of Tudor, Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is re ...

's ''

The Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...

'':

A bold bad man, that dar'd to call by name
Great Gorgon, Prince of darknesse and dead night,
At which
Cocytus Cocytus or Kokytos (, literally "lamentation") is the river of wailing in the underworld in Greek mythology. Cocytus flows into the river Acheron, on the other side of which lies Hades, the underworld, the mythological abode of the dead. There ...
quakes, and
Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...
is put to flight.
— (Canto I, stanza 37)

and:

Downe in the bottome of the deepe ''Abysse''
Where ''Demogorgon'' in dull darknesse pent,
Farre from the view of Gods and heauens blis,
The hideous ''Chaos'' keepes, their dreadfull dwelling is.
— (Book IV, Canto ii, stanza 47)

Demogorgon is the central character in

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

's 1756 short story "

Plato's Dream "Plato's Dream" (original French title "Songe de Platon") is a 1756 short story written in the 18th century by the French philosopher and satirist Voltaire. Along with his 1752 novella '' Micromégas'', "Plato's Dream" is among the first modern wor ...

" - a "lesser superbeing" who was responsible for creating the planet Earth. He is also the protagonist of an opera ''Il Demogorgone, ovvero il filosofo confuso'' ("Demogorgon, or the Confused Philosopher" by

Vincenzo Righini Vincenzo Maria Righini (22 January 1756 – 19 August 1812) was an Italian composer, singer and kapellmeister. Life and career Righini was born in Bologna and studied singing and composition with Padre Martini in his home town. Initially ...

(1786) with a libretto by

Lorenzo da Ponte Lorenzo Da Ponte (; 10 March 174917 August 1838) was an Italians, Italian, later American, opera libretto, librettist, poet and Catholic Church, Roman Catholic priest. He wrote the libretti for 28 operas by 11 composers, including three of Wolfgan ...

, which originally was written for

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

. One of the lead characters pretends to be Demogorgon in

Johann Karl August Musäus Johann Karl August Musäus (29 March 1735 – 28 October 1787) was a German author. He was one of the first collectors of German folk stories, most celebrated for his '' Volksmärchen der Deutschen'' (1782–1787), a collection of German fairy t ...

' literary fairy tale "" ('Roland's Squires') from (volume 1, 1782). In

Herman Melville Herman Melville (Name change, born Melvill; August 1, 1819 – September 28, 1891) was an American novelist, short story writer, and poet of the American Renaissance (literature), American Renaissance period. Among his best-known works ar ...

's 1851 novel ''

Moby-Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

'', the first mate of the ship, ''Pequod'', Starbuck, describes the white whale as the "demigorgon " of the ship's "heathen crew" (see ch. XXXVIII, paragraph 2). Demogorgon also appears as a character in

Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...

's '' Prometheus Unbound''. In this lyrical drama, Demogorgon is the offspring of

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

and

Thetis Thetis ( , or ; ) is a figure from Greek mythology with varying mythological roles. She mainly appears as a sea nymph, a goddess of water, and one of the 50 Nereids, daughters of the ancient sea god Nereus. When described as a Nereid in Cl ...

who eventually dethrones Jupiter. It is never mentioned whether Demogorgon, portrayed as a dark, shapeless spirit, is female or male. The theory of Demogorgon's name originating from Greek ''demos'' and ''gorgos'' may be the foundation for its use in this text as an allusion to a politically active and revolutionary populace. Shelley's allusions to the French Revolution further support this. In the poem "Demogorgon" by

Álvaro de Campos Álvaro de Campos (; October 15, 1890 – November 30, 1935) was one of the poet Fernando Pessoa's various heteronyms, with a reputation for a powerful and angry style of writing. This ''alter ego'' is recounted to have been born in Tavira, Po ...

, the writer is afraid of becoming mad by learning the true nature and unveiling the mystery of life.

In popular culture

''Dungeons & Dragons''

In the ''

Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (TTRPG) originally created and designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

role-playing game A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, or abbreviated as RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out ...

, Demogorgon is a powerful demon prince. He is known as the Prince of Demons, a self-proclaimed title, but one that is acknowledged by mortals and even his fellow demons because of his power and influence. Demogorgon was also named an "iconic D&D character" by Witwer ''et al.'' and one of the greatest villains in ''D&D'' history by the final print issue of ''

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

''. He is depicted as an eighteen foot tall, reptilian (or amphibious) hermaphroditic tanar'ri (a type of demon) with a somewhat humanoid form (His torso is depicted as ape-like in accompanying art). Two

mandrill The mandrill (''Mandrillus sphinx'') is a large Old World monkey native to west central Africa. It is one of the most colorful mammals in the world, with red and blue skin on its face and posterior. The species is Sexual dimorphism, sexually ...

or hyena heads sprout from his twin snake-like necks, and his arms end in long tentacles. His two heads have individual minds and names. Demogorgon first appeared in the original edition of ''Dungeons and Dragons'', in ''

Eldritch Wizardry ''Eldritch Wizardry'' is a supplementary rulebook by Gary Gygax and Brian Blume, written for the original edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, which included a number of significant additions to the core ga ...

'' (1976), and has appeared in every subsequent edition of the game. Already in 1976 miniatures of Demogorgon were produced by MiniFigs based on " Gygax's specifications and Dave Sutherland's illustration from ''Eldritch Wizardry''."

''Stranger Things''

Demogorgon is the name given to the otherworldly creature which appeared in the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

original show ''

Stranger Things ''Stranger Things'' is an American television series created by the Duffer brothers, Duffer Brothers for Netflix. Produced by Monkey Massacre Productions and 21 Laps Entertainment, the Stranger Things season 1, first season was released on N ...

'', which began airing in 2016.''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...

'' article:
The Stranger Things Cast Reveals What It's Really Like Working with a Demogorgon
. This name is inspired by the ''

'' creature.

References

Sources

Lactantius Placidus, ''ad Theb.'' 4.516, ed. Jahnke (1898) (Google books)Lactantius Placidus, ''ad Theb.'' 4.516, ed. Sweeney (1997) (Google books)
*P.van de Woestijne, "Les scholies à la Thébaïde de Stace: remarques et suggestions," ''L'Antiquité Classique'' n.s. 19 (1950), pp 149–63], dates the scholiast of Statius to ''ca'' 350 - 400 CE.
Dr Daniel Kinney, "Ovid Illustrated: The Renaissance Reception of Ovid in Image and Text"
* *Sylvain Matton, "La figure de Démogorgon dans la littérature alchimique", in Didier Kahn and Sylvain Matton (ed.), ''Alchimie, art, histoire et mythes. Actes du 1er colloque international de la Société d'Étude de l'Histoire de l'Alchimie (Paris, Collège de France, 14-15-16 mars 1991)'', Textes et Travaux de Chrysopœia, 1, Paris: S.É.H.A.-Milan: Archè, 1995, p. 265-346. *

Dungeons & Dragons

* * Carroll, Bart
''D&D'' Alumni: Demogorgon
* Gary Gygax, Gygax, Gary. ''Come Endless Darkness'' ( New Infinities, 1988). * Gygax, Gary. ''Dance of Demons'' (New Infinities, 1988). ** Gygax, Gary. ''

Dungeon Master's Guide The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' (''DMG'' or ''DM's Guide''; in some printings, the ''Dungeon Masters Guide'' or ''Dungeon Master Guide'') is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. The ''Dungeon Master's Guide'' co ...

'' (TSR, 1979). * Gygax, Gary, and

Brian Blume Brian John Blume (January 12, 1950 – March 27, 2020) was an American game designer and writer, principally known as a former business partner of Gary Gygax at TSR, Inc., original publishers of the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons' ...

. ''

'' (TSR, 1976). * * * Jacobs, James. "The Demonomicon of Iggwilv: Demogorgon". ''Dragon #357 (Paizo Publishing, 2007). * Moore, Roger E. "A Stone's Throw Away". ''Dragon'' #85 (TSR, 1984). * Reynolds, Sean K. "The Lost Temple of Demogorgon". ''

Dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An oubliette (fr ...

'' #120 (Paizo Publishing, 2005). * Spitler, Jeff, and Roger E Moore. "Meeting Demogorgon". ''Dragon'' #36 (TSR, 1980). * ''

Miniatures Handbook The ''Miniatures Handbook'' is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. Contents The ''Miniatures Handbook'' is a ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplement containing rules variants for the '' Dungeon ...

'' (2003) (aspect) * ''D&D'' Miniatures: Archfiends set #45 (2004) (aspect) * ''Dungeon'' #150 (2007)

External links

The History of the Word 'Demogorgon'

Demogorgon in History and Pop Culture
{{Authority control Demons in Christianity European legendary creatures Greek mythology studies Christianity and Hellenistic religion Evil deities Linguistic error

Etymology

Derivation and history

In literature

In popular culture

''Dungeons & Dragons''

''Stranger Things''

See also

References

Sources

Dungeons & Dragons

External links